Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Historic Letter to Golda Meir Regarding the Efforts to Free the Airplane Hostages. [New ...

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Historic Letter to Golda Meir Regarding the Efforts to Free the Airplane Hostages. [New York] September 9, 1970

The historic letter with Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's Torah opinion to the Israeli prime minister, Golda Meir, regarding efforts to free the airplane hostages. [New York], September 9, 1970. 

Specifications: [1] leaf, stencil paper. 21x28 cm. Written by typewriter and signed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. 

Wording of the letter: An urgent meeting of the Rabbinic Council held a solemn discussion about the dangerous state of the captives in Jordan and the difficulty of the State of Israel to reach a decision on the matter. We saw fit to express our opinion, the opinion of the Torah on this matter. In Jewish law, saving a life takes precedence. If there is no choice, the State of Israel must comply with the terrorists' demand in order to save the hostages' lives. May G-d protect His people and may the Jewish people live in peace. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, President of the Rabbinic Council. 

Background: On September 6, 1970 terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked three airplanes. Two of them, a TWA flight from Frankfurt to New York and a SwissAir flight from Zurich to New York were landed in a secluded airport in the Jordanian desert. The terrorists separated the hostages into different groups, released some of them and continued to hold the crew and Israeli, American, German and Swiss citizens hostage. More hostages were later released, and among those who remained in captivity were Israelis and Jewish passengers. Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner and his wife were among the hostages, as well as their daughter and son-in-law who were on their way from Israel back to America. The State of Israel had to reach a decision about releasing terrorists in exchange for release of the hostages. This letter shows that the Rabbinic Council held an urgent meeting and transmitted their decision to the prime minister. Torah scholars in Israel were also called upon to give their opinion, and they debated whether freeing terrorists in exchange for hostages is a ransom "worth more than their lives" which should be forbidden even when the hostages' lives are in danger. 

Following the hijacking, King Hussein declared military rule and sent the Jordanian army to bomb the terrorists' bases. The Jordanian army continued to attack the armed forces of the Palestinian organizations in what was later known as "Black September" until they defeated them, killing thousands of terrorists and arresting many of their leaders. The Jordanian victory led to the release of the hostages in exchange for the freeing of several terrorists. 

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein [1895-1986] was one of the greatest adjudicators in the post-Holocaust era, chairman of Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages in the United States and rosh yeshiva of Tiferet Yerushalayim in New York. Also known for his series of responsa books, Iggerot Moshe. 

Condition: Fine. Creases and fold marks.